Ecclesiastes 3: 1, 2 - “There is a time for everything, for every activity under heaven, a time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot.”
Spring is the time to plant seeds. It is also the time when many people are pruning their trees. We’ve never had fruit trees before coming to Ashcroft, so we asked different people how to go about it. After some research and plenty of advice, we tackled the job and hauled three truckloads of branches to the landfill. Now we wait and see how much fruit will grow.
We can find a parallel lesson in the Bible about pruning trees. We read in John 15: 1, 2 - “I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit He prunes so that it will bear more fruit.” What can we learn? God is the one who does the pruning in our lives. Although we may not like the process of God cutting some things from our lives, when God takes something away, there is always a reason, even if we don’t understand. Many people feel that they are in control of their lives, but we must understand that it is God who controls our lives and this world. He knows when there will be an earthquake or tsunami. He knows all our days.
What season are you in right now? Could it be one where God wants to bring some changes into your life? Have you considered where God fits into the picture?
Psalm 90:10, 12 - “The length of our days is 70 years or 80 if we have the strength; yet their span is but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. Teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
I trust that you will gain wisdom the longer you live.
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Pastor Victor Koop, Sage Hills Evangelical Free Church